Image Credit: Sno-Isle Libraries / CC
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
While 60% of this past year’s third grade class failed to meet the state’s reading benchmark this past spring, only 0.88% were held back due to Tennessee’s third-grade retention law.
According to data released by the Tennessee Department of Education, this means around 655 of the 74,000 third graders enrolled in public schools last year were retained, a decrease from 1.2%, or around 898 students, the previous year.
The reading law – which has been a source of contention among parents, educators, and lawmakers – assesses students’ reading proficiency by their score on the English Language Arts portion of the TCAP test.
Around 50,000 Tennessee third graders failed to meet proficiency expectations on that TCAP test. Third grade students who scored “below” or “approaching” proficiency were given several pathways to be able to move on to the fourth grade.
Students were first allowed to retake a different version of the test after TCAP scores were released. 3,274 passed the second time and were promoted to the next grade. 99 additional students won an appeal because they dealt with a catastrophe around the time that the TCAP test was given.
There were three options given for students who were approaching expectations:
• 1,124: Attended summer school with 90% attendance and adequate growth
• 7,426: Enrolled in year-long, state-provided tutoring in fourth grade
• 3,262: Scored at least the 50th percentile on a state-approved universal reading screener and opted into year-long tutoring for fourth grade
An additional 2,895 students were granted an appeal and chose to participate in a remediation plan in fourth grade.
For students who fell below proficiency, the options were more limited. Those students were required to enroll in a summer program, have a 90% attendance rate, and participate in the state-funded tutoring for their entire fourth grade year.
Those who qualified for tutoring in fourth grade must meet a state-determined individualized goal by the end of the school year or show proficiency on the fourth grade TCAP English section. However, this requirement is not mandated for those who won an appeal or who were in the “approaching” category and already passed the state-approved universal screener.
Additionally, there is nothing in the law that requires that those students be retained in fourth grade if they do not meet those requirements. Instead, the student’s parents, ELA teacher, and principal can make a determination as to what is in the best interest of the child.
State Department data shows that results from third graders from the previous year who were allowed to move on despite a lack of proficiency on the TCAP were mixed:
• 5,389: Promoted to fifth grade with a tutoring plan
• 3,996: Achieved state-mandated growth goals
• 1,740: Met proficiency on the spring TCAP
• 132: Assigned to repeat fourth grade
An additional 906 students either opted to not enroll in a public school again or had data that was not reported by their school district.
The law does allow for some students to be exempt from the possibility of being retained. Nearly 20,000 students were allowed to move on without a forced improvement plan:
• 11,468: Students with disabilities or suspected disabilities affecting reading
• 3,511: English learners with less than two years of instruction in English language arts
• 2,596: Students previously held back
• 2,345: Other exemptions determined by local leaders
